Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Purchases 1,788,563 Shares of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH) by 77.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,105,796 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,788,563 shares during the quarter. Choice Hotels International makes up 1.2% of Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 8.52% of Choice Hotels International worth $488,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 144.4% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 198 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Choice Hotels International by 307.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Choice Hotels International by 163.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Choice Hotels International by 129.4% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Vima LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Choice Hotels International in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. 65.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Choice Hotels International news, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 13,117 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.45, for a total transaction of $1,632,410.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 69,171 shares in the company, valued at $8,608,330.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Patrick Pacious sold 10,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.37, for a total transaction of $1,206,709.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 404,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,709,646.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dominic Dragisich sold 13,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.45, for a total value of $1,632,410.65. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 69,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,608,330.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,401 shares of company stock worth $4,497,556. Insiders own 24.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CHH has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Choice Hotels International from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays cut their price objective on Choice Hotels International from $114.00 to $112.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Choice Hotels International from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Choice Hotels International from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Susquehanna initiated coverage on shares of Choice Hotels International in a research report on Friday, June 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $127.25.

Choice Hotels International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CHH opened at $129.98 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.25. Choice Hotels International, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.91 and a 52-week high of $134.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 177.75, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $125.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.71.

Choice Hotels International (NYSE:CHH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.02). Choice Hotels International had a negative return on equity of 3,953.67% and a net margin of 15.42%. The firm had revenue of $435.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $438.29 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Choice Hotels International, Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Choice Hotels International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.2875 dividend. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Choice Hotels International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.68%.

Choice Hotels International Profile

Choice Hotels International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a hotel franchisor in the United States and internationally. It operates through Hotel Franchising & Management and Corporate & Other segments. The company franchises lodging properties under the brand names of Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Clarion Pointe, Sleep Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, WoodSpring Suites, Everhome Suites, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Radisson Inn & Suites, Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Individuals, and Radisson Collection.